Dot Puts Lot Plans On Hold

July 11, 1994|By GARY GENTILE; Courant Staff Writer

VERNON — The state has put plans to build a commuter parking lot on hold because of opposition from citizens and town officials.

The state Department of Transportation will continue to lease the parking lot of Sacred Heart Church and will begin negotiations for renewal of the lease, which expires in October. The DOT had planned to built a 2-acre lot near Exit 66 off I-84 to replace the lot at the church on Route 30.

At an informational meeting in February, residents and officials opposed the new lot. In March, the town council voted unanimously to oppose it. In May, Vernon's state representatives, along with Mayor Edward C. Slattery, Police Chief Rudolf Rossmy and a representative from Sacred Heart Church met with DOT officials to reiterate their concerns.

``We felt plans were moving too quickly,'' state Sen. Tony Guglielmo, R-Stafford, said. ``The church wants to continue with the lease. As far as I'm concerned, it's a marriage made in heaven.''

Last week, the council learned that the DOT had decided to put construction plans on hold until a review can be conducted of the arguments for and against the lot. A final decision will not be made until the end of the year, a letter to Guglielmo from DOT Commissioner Emil H. Frankel said. The DOT pledged to meet with local officials if it decides to build the new lot.

Traffic problems and economics are at the heart of the opposition to the new commuter lot. Additional traffic generated by the lot would put a strain on a narrow section of Bolton Road near its intersection with Route 30, local officials have maintained. Paving over existing open space when an alternative exists would not help the aesthetics or economic-development efforts of the town, they said.

Officials also have said that the state should not spend as much as $900,000 on the new lot when continuing to lease the church lot is less costly.